I didn’t stop to think and rolled to the left. An arrow hit the rock where I was lying and the archer, seeing he missed, had dropped his bow and was...trying to get his rifle to bear. I hit him three times the last in his head as he was falling. Another rose up almost in front of me, shocked beyond believing when I dropped the rifle and went for my shotgun. He was literally on top of me before I could get it to bear, the barrel almost against his chest. The shot knocked him backwards and he. As she slowly moved up the stairs, she heard him stirring restlessly in his bed. Reaching the top of the stairs, she headed for her room. As she crept down the hallway, she forgot to avoid one of the loose floorboards and it gave out its trademark creak. She froze, waiting to see if she had disturbed him.Dan Sampson lay in bed, heart pounding. His plan, formulated weeks before, was now ready to be put in motion, if he had the courage.He either had to have her or she had to leave, it was that. Ada had not married and had conscientiously avoided pregnancy. That avoidance and her stated intention to continue in that regard had cost her the longest relationship she had so far managed and been followed by an ill-advised rebound relationship. Both were history now and she was in a funk, hence her melodramatic and wistful recollections. On a whim Ada decided that the best course of action would be to get the fuck out of town. She managed to get some vacation time from work and having. Those got blow-dried.Yes, it was a struggle to walk down the stairs, but I was standing tall when I walked into the kitchen to the sounds of my six daughters (Dara counts), Trent, and my mother and father-in-law singing ‘Happy Birthday’. Kisses were passed around, except to Bill and Trent. Margaret pulled out a chair for me and put down a towel for me.“Thank you Margaret Erin.”“Happy Birthday, Daddy.” And a kiss.A tall stack of pancakes was set in front of me, all heart-shaped.“Thank you.